The Giant Pumpkin Quest of 2026
Believe it or not, our journey to growing the Georgia state record pumpkin has begun. (1,306 pounds if you didn’t know).
The prep REALLY started at the end of Summer/Fall. Once you decide the pumpkin vine is officially gone, go get dressed in all black, throw a black veil over your face, play “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush, pour out a cup of compost tea for your homie and get to ripping out those vines. You absolutely do NOT have to do that but however you process your grief will work best.
After the service it’s time to amend the soil and refeed the microbes. He added a mixture of calcium/manganese/boron plus something secret to the soil before putting a thick blanket of leaves on top and tucking it in for the Winter. He’s hoping for at least a dusting of snow because “Everyone who’s watched Frosty the Snowman knows how magical the first snow of the year is”.
He started researching what pumpkins he would buy seeds from in September/October. He was absolutely NOT hate watching all the weigh offs, especially not the one he planned to attend with our prize winner in Georgia. Nope, not even a little bit.
As far as the seed goes, well it’s a lot more complicated than it seems. You need to make sure the pumpkin you’re buying seeds from has good parents. The parents of the pumpkins this year were over 2,400 pounds. Very good genetics!
Last year the seeds came from pumpkins grown in California and Massachusetts. This year he decided on seed with a climate a little closer to ours. After much back and forth and many hours scrolling worldclassgardening.com this is what he went with:
45 pounder was grown by our customer and friend Suzie right here in East Cobb!
245 pounder was grown in Louisiana https://worldclassgardening.com/products/index.html?action=fulldet_seed&p=1625
1,200 pounder was grown in West Virginia. https://worldclassgardening.com/products/index.html?action=fulldet_seed&p=1619
Comparing the size of seeds from an East Cobb grown 45 pound pumpkin to a 1,200 pound giant from WV
Some people direct sow their seeds but we have a lot of busy little chipmunks and squirrels who would love to feast on a $20 pumpkin seed. Jon is starting his seed indoors around March 1st. That’s new too, last year he started later and when he put the plant in the ground it was already really hot. He’s going to get it going in a gallon pot and once the plant and stem are very strong and it has three leaves he’ll put it in the ground.
As we wait for that exciting day there’s still much to do. He’s moving away from overhead and hand watering to drip irrigation. This information was all shared with me against my will; however, if you’re having a hard time falling asleep I suggest a warm cup of herbal tea and have somebody explain the process to you, what they need to buy, what people say to avoid, pros and cons vs overhead watering, morning and evening waterings will be much easier, etc etc to zzzzzz.
I’ll leave you with a little throwback to our first female on our first vine. I wish I could put into words the joy I felt every day going into my backyard, lifting up those giant leaves and finding bees drunk on pollen sleeping in the flowers. Even if one female didn’t take we knew another would pop up tomorrow. Once the plant started fade we weren’t as disappointed as we were resolved to learn from our mistakes and apply it to next year.
As Audrey Hepburn famously said “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” and in spite of the current state of things, I still believe there will be good tomorrow. Especially in my garden.
Thanks for coming on this journey with us again in 2026!
